Real Truth about Egg White vs Egg Yolk

We’ve all heard egg yolks are bad for you. I’m here to say you have been told wrong. Yes – you have been bamboozled, hoodwinked and taken for a ride by the anti egg yolk marketing machine. Even worse is that restaurants and grocers actually charge MORE for just egg whites versus a whole egg. What kinda crap is that?!

Here’s what you need to know:

All things compared, egg yolks contain close to 100% of the essential nutrients needed for any healthy, fit body. The white’s alone just don’t pack the same nutritional punch as the yolks.

What about fat and cholesterol in egg yolks? Yes, egg yolks have a bad reputation in this area, but ask any cardiologist and he or she would tell you dietary cholesterol does not play a direct role in the development of heart disease and thus eating eggs does not increase the chances of developing heart disease (just don’t go eat 20 deviled eggs in a day). Moderation is key.

Here are some nutritional stats of both egg whites and egg yolks.

Nutrients: Egg Yolks Versus Egg Whites

Nutrient

White

Yolk

% Total in White

% Total in Yolk

Protein

3.6 g

2.7g

57%

43%

Fat

0.05g

4.5g

1%

99%

Calcium

2.3 mg

21.9 mg

9.5%

90.5%

Magnesium

3.6 mg

0.85 mg

80.8%

19.2%

Iron

0.03 mg

0.4 mg

6.2%

93.8%

Phosphorus

5 mg

66.3 mg

7%

93%

Potassium

53.8 mg

18.5 mg

74.4%

25.6%

Sodium

54.8 mg

8.2 mg

87%

13%

Zinc

0.01 mg

0.4 mg

0.2%

99.8%

Copper

0.008 mg

0.013 mg

38%

62%

Manganese

0.004 mg

0.009 mg

30.8%

69.2%

Selenium

6.6 mcg

9.5 mcg

41%

59%

Thiamin

0.01 mg

0.03 mg

3.2%

96.8%

Riboflavin

0.145 mg

0.09 mg

61.7%

48.3%

Niacin

0.035 mg

0.004 mg

89.7%

9.3%

Pantothenic acid.

0.63 mg

0.51 mg

11%

89%

B6

0.002 mg

0.059 mg

3.3%

96.7%

Folate

1.3 mcg

24.8 mcg

5%

95%

B12

0.03 mcg

0.331 mcg

8.3%

91.7%

Vitamin A

0 IU

245 IU

0%

100%

Vitamin E

0 mg

0.684 mg

0%

100%

Vitamin D

0 IU

18.3 IU

0%

100%

Vitamin K

0 IU

0.119 IU

0%

100%

DHA and AA

0

94 mg

0%

100%

Carotenoids

0 mcg

21 mcg

0%

100%

Notice how many nutrients the yolk contains?! What this chart shows is that neither egg whites or egg yolks alone are the full enchilada. So the lesson here, don’t just eat egg whites and don’t just eat egg yolks, eat the whole egg!

THE FINAL BENEFIT OF EATING EGG YOLKS IS:

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BENEFIT! No more post hangover puffy face! So eat your eggs after a night of drinking

My favorite hangover food – the breakfast burrito. This one was homemade with some spicy red kidney beans, pico de gallo, Mexican rice and some yogurt sauce instead of crema.

PS: If you are on a high protein diet and scarf down an insane amount of egg whites each day, try adding 2 yolks into the mix, it’ll do wonders.